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January 19, 2010

Good Hope applying for improvement grants

By Benjamin Bullard The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — The Town of Good Hope is hoping to capitalize on its eligibility for two grants that, if awarded, could fund improvements to both its utilities infrastructure and the quality of its recreational offerings.

The town is applying for one award that could fund a needed upgrade to the disinfection treatment system at the Good Hope water treatment plant, according to Mayor Corey Harbison. The current plant, which is 22 years old, is functioning within its design capacity, but would see an improvement in its processing efficiency from the upgrades the projected $20,000 grant could fund.

The money for such grants is disbursed by the Cullman County Community Development Commission (CCCDC), a recently-formed body that allocates money collected by the state to local municipalities and unincorporated communities. Funds for the CCCDC come from both the Tennessee Valley Authority and the collection of state alcohol taxes.

Landing the grant money would be a boon for the town, said Harbison.

“The current system is compliant with all regulations set forth by ADEM (the Alabama Department of Environmental Management), but it’s out of date,” said Harbison. “I feel like this upgrade is one of the main things we need to shoot for, because it would help our system stay ahead of the curve as our town grows, or if we ever go through a severe drought again.”

Southwest Water Co., which maintains the treatment facility, will write the grant application. Grady Parsons, a company representative, said the present system is due for an upgrade.

“What we’ve got now at the plant is really yesterday’s technology,” said Parsons. “It’s adequate, but out of date. It would be expensive to fix if it ever went down.”

The town also plans to apply for another grant administered by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an arm of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).

The match grant, which may award up to $50,000 in matching funds for a qualifying project of any cost, would fund new playground equipment at Good Hope Family Park on Day Gap Road. The award could also help pay for a new basketball court at Hathcock Park, located near exit 304 off Interstate 65. The Cullman County Economic Development Office is assisting with the grant writing process.

In other business at its January meeting, the Good Hope town council agreed to declare three tractors as surplus property and sell them to the highest bidder. Bids have not yet been opened on the tractors, which Harbison said are too old and costly to maintain.

“If we keep them, we’ll spend more time repairing them than using them,” said Harbison. “But if we sell them, we can use the money to help us buy a single new tractor - one that will cost much less to maintain than what we have now.”

* Benjamin Bullard can be reached by e-mail at bbullard@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 270.

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